How to train your Inu
by star-struck-imagination
Summary: Ridiculed almost constantly by her own kind for not being able to do anything right,Kagome finds out that she can do a lot more good to the kind she has to destroy.Though,befriending a creature such as he is hard,she does it,becoming a part of something.
1. Come

**A/N: ** I'm baaaaack! Missed me? No? No worries. I'm doing yet another challenge, this time for **Aubrey Simone**'s – _"The training Challenges". _ The main, maaaaain idea is from the movie "How to train your dragon" thus the name of this possible one-shot, if not long-story, thingy. I always wanted to do something in the lines of that movie, so be prepared. It's the first time I use someone else's idea ( I usually don't like to cheat this way, but considering the challenge, this time I have to, so wish me good lick) so I have no experience what-so-ever. Hope I don't screw up.

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_This is Nippon, Edo period. A place where people live mostly in peace, that is, with the human wars and things like that, where the lands seem to be always green and the weather is always nice. And this, this is Shindo village, one of the few hundreds if not thousands of villages that are scattered all around Japan. It's a peaceful, sunny place, where those around you, young or old alike, are either warriors that were trained by the shogun or just simple farmers, trained in the fine art of fighting whatever comes their way. Most would avoid mountain villages like ours because of the constant threat that it represents. Not many know of the creatures that live in the mountain, but those few who do, mainly the ones that live in said village, know to either fight them of or run for their lives. _

_I'm Kagome Higurashi, yet another village girl that has found residence among the orphans of the village when my parents were killed by the evil, malicious creatures. They come in all shapes and sizes and for a long time, this place has been their hunting ground. They snatch away whatever they can: from pigs and sheep, to humans, carrying the off to some place distant, not always the mountain. _

A loud screech erupted from somewhere on the outskirts of the small town-like place where she lived. Yells of pain and screams of battle echoed through the night, fires licking at the inky sky above with wicked tongues of flames, famished for whatever they could touch. Groans and yelps, calls for either help or for those that engaged themselves in a battle they must surely couldn't win.

Jerking out of her bed, tangling herself in the cotton fabric of her clothes and blanket, a black haired girl, no more than seventeen shot up from her slumber when a particularly hissing noise came too close for comfort. Stumbling out of the hut she had made herself in younger years of living alone, Kagome Higurashi bit the dirt all too soon as a whooshing ball of fire missed her home and her body, barely scrapping the straw roof. Yelling at the creature who was responsible for the destruction of her only possession, the tanned girl got up, brushing the soil off her clothes and face and rushed back into her hut to put off the fire while she could. It wasn't that she minded the straws catching fire, but the wood of her roof, the wood underneath the smothering flames that now tried to devour her home, that was another story.

Grabbing the only bucket of water in the immediate residence, she dumped, as well as she could, all the water on the roof, finally making the flames disappear. Huffing, her face black with soot, the young girl almost jumped out of her skin when another loud cry came from somewhere really close to her home. Rushing out of her home, hands holding what seemed like a rusty sword, she saw the most hideous creature that any human could see. Almost eight feet tall, green skinned, the monster, a demon non the less, looked back at her, his maw agape, hands holding a little girl as he tried to get away from the spears that were shot his way. Blurry eyes, the size of large plates glowed black on the eerie fire illumination that came from his flamed back. Growling deep in his throat, the ogre made for the chase in her direction, it's hideous form almost crushing Kagome's lighter one.

Screeching as she tried to use the only weapon she had on herself, she felt the pull of someone's irony grip on her arm, her body thrown to the side as a man, taller than her with about two feet, battled the ogre with determination. Snarling at the puny man, the incredible creature released the girl and threw his body forward, grabbing the man with this large, clawed hands around the neck and dragged him away into the black forest. A loud thwack, wet and disgusting, resonated from the woods and the most terrifying sound the teen could ever hear shook not only her trembling body but the tall trees as well. Emerging from the forest, the lonely soldier, the head of her village, looked angrily in her direction.

"Stay put, Kagome! Don't even dare try to rescue someone again!" his voice only some gruff sounds as he ran, with a roar, towards what seemed like the battle field.

"Yeah, sure. And I should just stay and be eaten with an apple in my mouth while we're at it.." the girl mumbled, getting up.

Running past fire balls and crashing wood and metal, she dodged every single attack she could, her heart stuck in her throat. She knew she wasn't a fighter and never will be, if we were at that, but, as she passed a couple of sturdy houses, she saw two women hitting what seemed like a small, two headed dog, their forks prickling it's fur as they cried in unison. Every living being in this village knew how to fight with this catastrophic demons, that, as she scrambled to the ground, came today in the forms of rats, ogres, dogs and bats. Everyone, but her, a trainee miko and a bad one at that. Groaning under her breath as she reached the smithy, the blue eyed girl all but slammed in the door, her body hitting the ground no soon after.

"Glad to see you joined the party, young one!" the loud voice of the kind and surprisingly gentle man, made her jump to her feet, her arms stretched to receive whatever sword, hammer or knife he could offer.

"Yeah, well... Jinkoku-san nearly flattened me to the ground a moment ago, so I need a weapon to..." she tried to speak as fast as she could, only to be interrupted by a slap on the shoulder.

"No chance, onna! You help me here. There's no way I would let you out there! Remember the last time you went out?" his voice chuckled with both amusement and seriousness, his eyes twinkling.

Puffing her cheeks as she was send with numerous blades to be sharpened to the back of the house, Kagome remembered her past experiences with weapons. She had tried to infuse her underdeveloped power into a blade so she could battle and purify the beasts, but all she did was get in the way, thrown from form to form, protected by the older males of the village like a little kid. And if it would have been only that. But no! The creatures had escaped with a lot of things, injuring many and all she could do was stand there, on her butt, as the people around her burned her with their angered stares. Shame bubbled up in her throat as she used all the force in her light body to hammer whatever she could on a freshly made sword.

Turning her head around to look at the black haired man that was trying to help the ones that fought with whatever he could, Kagome grabbed a pair of knifes and a rope and ran outside to the back door. She could definitely catch something that night. It was now or never. Eying the beasts that still brought destruction on her village, she counted her chances against one particularly tall ogre. That one could at least bring her some fame, if not the slight appreciation in Jinkoku's eyes. Shaking her head, summoning her reiki, though she felt it jerk and undulated under her fingers, she tried to put it in the rope as she ran towards her hut, her trusty machinery still in place. She could bring down anything with that, that is, after she twicked it a bit. She had design it, but all the others had laughed at her, saying she could never use it. She was determined to show them that they were wrong. She would bring down one of the larger beasts that came to destroy her home, one that was as elusive as a shadow, never staying in one place, never capturing anything, and always, always coming to look and sometimes help the destruction. The great white Inu was hers and hers alone.

Pushing the cart out as she tied the last two knives to her contraption, she rushed with it, through the dens canopy of the black forest, chills running up and down her spine. Even in mid day, the forest that loomed over her town was scary, not to mention at night when it vibrated with life and an evil aura always rose to eat whatever courageous being that entered it's domain. Huffing from the exertion, her obsidian locks stuck to her forehead, Kagome passed the on going battles, unnoticed, her eyes flashing bright momentarily as another ball of roaring fires passed her head. Yelping, though eating away her scream, the girl rushed even faster, jumping, with a little bit of effort, over the fallen trees.

Just as she neared the end of the village, a white flash zoomed over the tree tops, roaring. A deep, guttural howl topped every other sound, making Kagome stop dead in her tracks. Shaking her head as she watched the moonless sky eat away the light, she walked, wobbling, to her cart, tugging at the restrains. In mere seconds and with a loud spring, the large scale shooting devise she had worked on, stood as still as wood and steal permitted, the faint glow of the fire shining on the metal plates. Gulping down her fear and standing besides the arrow and bow like thingy, Kagome watched the sky, waiting for another sign of the elusive creature. The inuyoukai was the deadliest creature any human had encountered. Sure, there where the huge dragons, cat demons, tiger-demons and other such as those, but the white dog was far more worse, having the advantage in any battle. Grinding her teeth together, Kagome strained her human ears till she heard the soft whoosh of the creature that dominated not only the sky but the ground as well. Hitting the lever with all her force, the girl was pushed back by the force of which the spring of the device shot the length of rope, knifes and other thingies as the white dog.

Her mouth opening as the piercing growl shot through the sky, a light robbed Kagome of her success.

"The Miko! Miko-sama is here!" a loud, happy yell made it's way to her ears as a pink light shot through the sky, shooing away the creatures that were attacking the villagers.

"No..." the young girl moaned, hitting her forehead on a bark, her soul sinking.

But before she could wallow in self pity, another growl, much feral, made her back arch, her eyes wide in fear. Two, yellow orbs watched her from the tree above, sparkling white and red teeth shown to her, long canines glowing in the dim light. A hiss cut through the silence as the cat demon jumped down, stalking Kagome in a feral, dangerous and probably deadly way, it's eyes never leaving the blue pools. Screaming as the creature lunged itself at her, the brunette crouched down, hiding her head. But nothing came. A smell of burnt flesh and fur chocked her, as she was forced to look up, the ashes of the cat flying off into the breeze.

"I see that you are alright, little one." The soft murmur of Kikyou-sama, priestess of her village, made Kagome look up.

She wasn't so glad to see the older woman, the villagers always making fun of her inability to do anything, and more so when this one was around. Getting up and brushing past the priestess, Kagome was met with the raise brows and knowing looks of all the other people.

"I see you couldn't have made it worse!" a young voice beamed at her, the mocking tone making Kagome cringe.

"Quite the performance. At least this time only half the village burnt down!" another voice intoned.

"Thank you, thank you. I was trying..." she groaned, stepping away from the group.

The giggles and the low mumbling of those around her made her bite her lip, hard, not to turn around and tell them that she had hit the inuyoukai. A clear shot at that! But she couldn't. No one would believe her.

'_I have to find it and probably kill it.' _ She mumbled, her mind searching through all the places the dog could have fallen.

Going back into her hut, Kagome missed the thumping steps of the village-head coming right besides her. She was so engrossed in what she was thinking, picking up different things that had fallen on the wooden floor of her home that she didn't see the tall man that stepped inside, until his buff figure blocked the small light that radiated inside. Turning around, Kagome jerked back, his eyes empty of any feeling, something she had gotten used to over the last seventeen years of her life. Or, at least, half of that time.

"You have disregarded my orders yet again." His low voice made the girl lower her head and look to the side. "You have put not only yourself in danger but those around you as well." He pushed forward, his large, calloused hands coming down on her small, round shoulders to rest. "Why don't you understand that you can't fight these beings, Kagome-chan?" his tone changed, his fingers digging into her bruised skin.

"Because it's in my nature to fight them.." she mumbled, not fooling anyone. "I see an youkai and I feel the urge to just... kill it!" she baled her fingers into fists as she looked up at the older man.

Brown eyes looked into her blue pools, black hair, with strands of white gently moving in the night breeze. Nothing was said for a long time.

"You may be able to do many things, but this surely isn't one of them. I am seriously thinking of sending you to a shrine." The soft sigh that passed his chipped lips made Kagome's eyes widen.

"You can't!" she nearly yelled at him, watching as he slumped down on her bed, his eyes closed.

"Well, what must I do?" he whispered, his tired gaze moving back at the trembling orphan.

He had cared for her since her father, the last chef of the town, had passed away, killed by the jaws of a dragon, when he was trying to rescue both his wife and his daughter. He had taken care of the small baby until she became the woman he was seeing right now. He had been so happy to hear that she had miko powers, that she could purify and destroy the creatures that hunted them down, year after year. But when her training turned out to be futile, the last hope that he had seen in her life disappeared. Surely, he could make her train alongside the other children, both girls and boys, but something told him that she wouldn't do such a terrific job. He was scared that, putting her with the rest of them, would bring her, her demise. She had been his daughter for a long time now and loosing her meant loosing himself. Exhaling loudly, Jinkoku Ryohei stood up, ready to say something to the obviously angered girl.

That was how little faith he had in her? That was all he could say? If she wasn't going to be a miko and protect the village with her purity, then she had to go away? How come all the other girls that didn't have that power could stay? Why was she so different from the others? Rubbing her eyes harshly with the soles of her hands, Kagome watched the man she had called a father all this time get up and open his mouth to say something.

"Jinkoku-san! Get out here! We need to talk to you!" a yelling voice stopped all thoughts and feelings from being delivered.

Patting her head absent-minded, the older man rushed out of her small home and into the village, his booming voice asking for details. Shaking, her feelings having been restrained for enough time, Kagome found herself crying her heart out, her sobs muffled by her hands. This was so unfair. Everything was so unfair. As she cried, a shy ray of sun found her crouched down in the middle of the room, drying her eyes with whatever she could find.

'_Please Goddess Amaterasu, please help me find the demon and show them that I am not useless!' _ she prayed to the sun goddess, her eyes searching the sky for a sign.

A single cloud rested there and, as she watched the morning light lift the fog that had hindered them during the night, it disappeared. Swallowing her remorse down, the young woman got up, brushed the dust off of her knees, shifted the hakama pants back into place and rushed out of her hut, eyes searching, weary of those that might find and hinder her search. Holding a piece of scroll in her tiny hands, the girl ran and ran, jumping the fallen trees, not caring about the creatures that growled and shifted through the forest. They only attacked people when darkness overcame everything. Only at night did the fury of hell break loose. Breathing hard as she came across her abandoned cart, Kagome moved her pen, something she had design herself out of a charcoal tip and a broken brush, over the sky from where she had seen the beast struck and then fall. Japan was a large island in the middle of the ocean, but she knew these parts better than anyone. She knew where to find the creature, or at least knew where it had landed.

Trekking in that direction, always moving east, away from the village and deeper into the dark woods, she found herself, soon, frustrated that she hadn't come across even the smallest hint of where the demon had fallen.

"Some people loose money, others knives, others pots or toys, but I had to loose an entire dog demon that could probably eat my entire village in one gulp." Her mocking tone at her luck made her angrier as she pushed the lower branches out of her face. " Just great! You surely have one great sense of humor!" she pointed her fist up at the sky, her eyes narrowing.

As she stopped to inspect, a glittering piece of silver fur hang on a high branch, few specks of blood marooning the place right under it. Looking straight ahead from where she had seen the undulating fibers, Kagome's mouth hung agape. A large skittering mark was graved into the soil, as if something really big had crushed there. Holding her breath as she descended from the higher ground, the girl rushed in the direction of the dislodged soil. Sweat trickling down her forehead, she nearly screamed her surprise when, after a particular hard climb over a rock, her eyes met the most magnificent creature she had ever lay eyes on. Silver mane, clean and spotless moved slightly in the warm wind, shinning brightly in the sun. Magenta stripes, two on each side of its great muzzle that was turned towards her, his eyes, that had a red line on it's eyelids, closed, hiding it's probably terrifying eyes. Sharp teeth shone brightly as the beast snorted, heavy breaths coming out of it's chest in short and heavy puffs. Coughing slightly, Kagome shook her head in disgust. The air around the white dog was by far the most yucky one she had ever felt, like hundreds and hundreds of corpses had rotten away in his teeth. Wetting her lips as she inched closer, her hands clasping the rock underneath her tightly, her blue orbs moved freely over his huge head. A velvety midnight blue half-moon adorned it's forehead, his fluffy ears framing his head. Big, strong muscles twitched under his fur, his enormous claws scrapping the earth underneath his sleeping form. Only that, he wasn't sleeping! Her magic infused rope bit at his skin, leaving behind huge gashes of raw skin that, no matter how much he tried, his youki couldn't heal. Gulping down, her breath caught in her throat, the curious girl slid down the rock, carefully as to not wake the beast. Few mantra spells that she had found in her village hung around his neck, his paws caught by the strings and the knives digging even harder into him. Though he did seem to be asleep, his long, fluffy tail moved vigorously from side to side. A deep, large burn lay on his left leg that now faced the sun, wound that couldn't have been done by sword or spear or another demon. It had been made by a reiki blast and nothing else.

Mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the great dog, Kagome almost forgot that he was still a very dangerous being, one that could kill her with only a puff of acid that came almost constantly out his maw. Almost tripping on her own feet when she got close enough to touch the creature, Kagome shrieked in terror when he moved, a deep growl making even the ground tremble. Red eyes stared at her, black with gold pupils almost disappearing into the ruby mass. His teeth were bared, corrosive acid slipping past his upturned lips to crease the ground bellow.

Whipping out her trusty dagger, Kagome almost ran back to the safety of the rock, her back hitting the hard surface before the inuyoukai could do anything anymore. Gasping for breath, her heart thumping so hard in her chest that she thought it would soon escape and run away from the creature in terror, the brunette looked frantically at his tries of opening his jaws, to no avail, the smell of burnt skin and fur nauseating in the air. The ropes that tied him around his body, stretched, but being infused with reiki they didn't break as he tried again and again to rip through them.

"You.. you won't get away! Those things can be ripped by only a miko!" she shrieked as he summoned his youki, a pink layer of power surrounding him.

Growling deep in his chest, seeing that he couldn't do anything, the dog focused all of his attention on the small girl. She was trembling so hard that even if she wanted to hit his form she would probably miss.

"I'm going to kill you and bring your heart to my village... I have to..." she whispered, looking from his eyes to his exposed chest.

Bored eyes flashed in her direction as he slumped down. She knew that his kind were never surrendering in front of the enemy, always fighting for something. Or, at least, that was what the villagers knew about the inu clan that struck terror all over Nippon. Nothing much was said about them because, the few who had seen the creatures didn't live to tell the story. So why was this one surrendering? Lifting the knife above her head, Kagome prepared herself to strike the beast's heart. The loud, rhythmical bump of it soon found it's way to her ears and, as she cracked one eye open to look at the beast, the only thing she could see in his red eyes was sorrow, as if he had already been robbed of everything. Sorrow and pain. Inhaling sharply as the inu closed his beautiful eyes, Kagome stood there, blade raised high, shimmering in the sun, unable to bring herself to push it down into the still body before her. Clicking her tongue and taking one step back, the girl's eyes swum in tears. Who was she to take a life? No matter how gruesome these creatures were, they too had a reason for why they were fighting. Her people had slain numerous numbers from their kind, some of which hadn't done anything wrong to the human kind and she was about to do the same.

Shaking her head, rubbing her eyes, Kagome lunged forward. Before she could even think twice about what she was doing, she had already cut the rope around the great dog's throat, releasing him from the bindings of the sutras and her reiki. Cutting as fast as she could, bit by bit, the deafening growl that rose from the dog's chest once he could break through the rope on his one, made her tumble over, his muzzle so close to her body that she could almost feel the immense heat of his mouth. A jagged tongue picked through the row of pearly white teeth as she opened her mouth to scream, no sound coming out. This was her end, she thought, tightly shutting her eyes when his wet snout brushed so close to her arms that the hairs on her body stood up. She was going to be eaten by this great dog she couldn't kill. If she thought about it, her body could fit three times in his maw, she only being a light snack before the feast. Fearing what was worse, Kagome peaked one eye open, her long, black eyelashes shadowing her blue orbs. What she saw not only made her gasp and stiffen, but almost made her laugh with relieve.

Sitting on his back legs, his tongue lapping from time to time on his wounded leg, the very tall dog looked back at her, his head slightly tipped to one side. If he had brows then Kagome guessed that one of them would be raised, probably in annoyance. Shifting back until she could feel the rock against her skin, the young miko slowly got up, her eyes watching the youkai. What was he planning? Did he enjoy to torment her? Seeing that he made no move to catch or to hurt her, she stood up, proudly and tried to make her way back to the village. Now that he was free he could go anywhere. Something that sounded like a chuckle resonated through the wood and, as she tried to turn around on her scale on the rock, she felt the hot breath of the taiyoukai on the back of her neck. Before she could protest or even yell, the girl was lifted up, the dog limping away to another clearing, deeper into the forest. Swinging her arms around, yelling obscenities at the youkai that didn't even bat an eyelash in her direction as he carried her by the back for her neck, the clothes in his mouth slowly turning to ash, Kagome screamed in surprise when she was unceremoniously thrown to the ground on a pile of needles. Struggling to get up, pine needles flying around her, her hair tangling up in a messy hallow around her face, Kagome was thrown back down by a push from the wet nose of the dog. Growling as she tried yet again to get up, the dog was finally satisfied when she stopped.

"Why aren't you flying away?" she asked, pointing at his free self.

Shaking his head, his pinkish tongue coming out to lap at his injured leg, Kagome realized that, for quite some time now, she hadn't felt his youki surge. Moving her hand up to touch the beautiful fur, she stopped short when another growl threatened her.

"I understand, I understand, alright? So what am I supposed to do? Am I going to stay here and just wait for you to get better?" she asked, as if inquiring if the dog trusted her or not.

Seeing that he didn't respond in any way, the brunette got up again and moved, as slowly as she could, towards him. When he bared his teeth once more, she stiffened, remembering the knife she still had in hand. Gulping down, she threw the object away as far as she could. Satisfied that she no longer had anything that could hinder him, the silver headed beast resumed to groom himself. Watching him take care of his wounds, pain flickering in his bright eyes from time to time, Kagome looked past his domineering form only to be amazed by what she saw. A beautiful lake with fresh water from the mountains, pooled in a crevice. It's alluring blue hue made her heart weep in joy. Getting closer to the source of fresh water, she eyed the lake curiously. Fish swam under the crystal clear surface, it's murky depts probably hiding even bigger things.

"Can I take a bath here?" she asked, without thinking, turning her head towards the intelligent creature.

A slight nod came from the dog as he watched her. Was he afraid that, in his stated, if she called out all the villages, they could probably kill him? Why would he think that?

'_Well, if I was in his position, I would probably think the same way... But, I wonder why he hasn't killed me yet...' _ she thought to herself, her first smile fading as she stripped of all her clothes.

Jumping in the quite warm water, Kagome shivered in delight. All the pains and frustrations of the night dissipated as she swam happily. Submerging to watch the fish, she almost drowned when the first thing she met when coming back to the surface was the huge head of the dog watching her.

"You know it's not polite to stare?" she chirped, trying to hide her body in embarrassment.

Another sound like a deep chuckle came from the almost emotionless figure that had brought her there. Eying him carefully, Kagome swam to a place where the water was less deeper, her eyes focusing on the burns on his skin. If she could clean those wounds with water, thus rinsing away the last remains of reiki, then he could recover faster. Getting up carefully, the water no longer hiding her slender figure entirely, the girl motioned for the dog's attention.

"Come!" she smiled pointing to the water.

When no motion fallowed her plea, she puffed her cheeks like a child and started to explain.

"If I can clean your wounds with water, I may be able to get rid of the last reiki that doesn't allow you to heal faster. So, if you would like for me to search your pelt for any sutras and knives, please come in the water...?" she almost pleaded him, pointing yet again at the lake in which she had bathed.

Snorting, looking at the sky, the great dog stepped forward, snarling as his fur got when. It seemed that demon dogs were just like real dogs: they hated to get wet. Giggling when he submerged only to appear a few feet away from her, Kagome entered the lake once more, inching closer to him. When nimble finger touched the surprisingly soft mane, the dog shivered, shaking his head as if to dispose of any water that might hinder him. Fascinated by how warm he was, Kagome submerged to look around his neck and back, swiftly prying off offending sutras and two knives that, as she pulled at them, she realized how much damage they had brought the dog. When she finally finished petting the dog's fur, the girl got out, followed suit by his much larger form that shook away the water. Millions of droplets of water flew around them, as she laughed at his display.

Getting dressed, her stomach rumbling, the girl looked back at the dog.

"I would come later on with some food for you!" she beamed at him, though her only response was a rude snarl and a cold gaze.

Trekking back to her village, drying her hair in the soft summer breeze, Kagome thought on what she knew about demons: they could and would kill you on the spot; you could never engage one without loosing something, most of the times being your life; they were all very dangerous, savage beings. All of this was, somehow, proved null by the big dog. He wasn't like that, or at least didn't seem to be. She had been sure that he was going to eat her the moment she had released him, but all he did was make her promise, in her own way and with her life, that she won't tell anyone about him. And she had promised, because he had spared her. Plus, she was curious. Most of these creatures had a second form, one that would allow them to step into a village without attracting too much attention. She wanted to see that. And she wanted to know his name, because he had one for sure. No great being such as himself missed a name. Giggling to herself as she sneaked into the busy village, she thought about what dogs his size and breed ate.

No matter what, it wasn't human food. He was youkai for crying out loud.

'_And probably, he will be my friend... The only friend I will ever have...' _ she sighed to herself, her blue orbs moving the boys and girls who busied themselves around their houses.

Giddy to know what the future brought, Kagome spied a couple of sheep that seemed to belong to no one. Herding them back to her house, she tied them to a pole and fed them. No one will miss two sheep. Not now, at least. She will probably have to hunt in the future, but she didn't mind. She had always felt more at peace within the forest than the village, as if nature's children, the youkai, in all their murderous glory, were more family to her than her own kind. A deep sigh escaped her lips. He would probably abandon her too once he will regain his strength. Shaking her head, the young miko thought that, even if that happened, she will not feel at a loss. Or, at least, hoped that she wont.

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**A/N: **Leave comments, you guys! I will make it a chapter story, so that it won't be too much all of a sudden. I will update it once a month, so you guys should stay tuned! Please tell me what you think! pretty please?


	2. Stay

**A/N: **Finally! The second chapter has arrived. I am, usually, a very slow person but this time I wanted to make something for this story, considering that I have started yet another one, though I know that I still have about three others to continue, not to mention other fandoms. Keh, I will do them some other time. Right now I have this one to do, so please enjoy!

This is for Aubrey Simone's "Training Challenge".

**Prompt: Stay**

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_**STAY!**_

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Carrying two quite large sheep back into a forest had never seem so hard as it was right now. Trying desperately not to lose any of them, her mind focusing on her task, her eyes moved franticly from tree to tree, spying the silent wood as if someone or some thing would jump her and eat whatever she carried. Not that it wasn't entirely impossible for it to happen but that she knew that some creature, probably a boar demon would jump her and shred her to peaces along side her animals.

'_Well, they are scared for a reason.'_ She thought, pulling the twin rope harder as she climbed a fallen tree, her body moving swiftly from position to position. _'They will be eaten in a short while, not to mention that they can probably feel him from this distance.' _ Her mind supplied as she came to a dead stop, her eyes raising from the ground to watch the sky.

A navy blue with small white dots greeted her. No birds chirped in that part of the forest, but she was used with the silence that it provided. She had lived amongst these trees for as long as she had remembered and even named them, just to feel a little more wanted. The woods were her family, not the villagers that always asked the impossible from her. And what was wrong if she was more interested in the mechanical part of the world, like weapons and artillery? She loved mystery and what it brought with it. Why couldn't her people understand that she wanted to see for herself what these demons did? Why did they only want to kill creatures that they couldn't understand? Wasn't that the same attitude they had developed towards mikos at the very beginning?

Shaking her head, knowing full well that, if she was ever discovered in these woods, if she was ever found feeding and nurturing a demon, and a Moon Dog at that, she will probably be killed. Humans never tried to understand what was beyond their tiny world. And what was worse was that she was always compared with Kikyo, with her former teacher, the same woman that had been by her side when she had tried to learn the craft of being a priestess. Not that Kaede, her old caretaker, didn't do a great job, but that the younger woman really wanted to teacher her, herself.

'_And to make the villagers believe I have to talent what-so-ever... Not to mention the fact that she had been the one that had instructed me to go after that youkai that time to kill it... She had failed to tell me that it was much stronger than me and that there were people there who already tried to win the fight...' _her anger flared as she tugged the animals harder behind her.

Closing her eyes and inhaling sharply, the mahogany haired beauty started walking again. She had always been a pariah for her village, never wanted, never trusted. All she was good at, in their eyes, was at making useless things and destroying with them a part of the village.

'_Not that I captured a white Dog... Nooooo! But why do I care? They never listen anyway!' _ she bit her lip, stretching her powers curiously, careful not to alert any unwanted visitors about her presence.

Pulling on the rope as she reached the small clearing where her companion awaited, Kagome stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening again. No matter how many times she would see him, he would always surprise her. White fur that glittered in the sun, golden orbs, empty of any specific feeling, watching the same sky that she had previously contemplated, huge paws digging slowly into the soil, he was truly a magnificent creature. Gulping down her feelings when she heard the sheep cry out in terror at the sight of him, Kagome hurried with them down her path, hissing when the agitated animals started trashing in her arms. Why couldn't sheep just be sheep and stay dumb even when facing danger? It would make everything less painful. At least, for her. She really didn't like scraped knees and bloody palms.

Groaning in frustration as she finally reached her destination, his monotonous gaze fixed on her, his apathy adding to her nervousness yet another brick, the blue eyed girl just stood there, watching as the great dog lowered his muzzle to inspect the offerings. A small puff, like he had just ridiculed her attempts at giving him food, met her ears as he slumped back down, not bothering with the two animals.

"What? Aren't you going to eat?" the puzzled girl asked, moving her hand from him to her offering and back at him, not understanding.

A curt shake, something like dismissal, was her only response. So all her trouble in bringing these creatures here was for nothing? Was this dog too prideful to just dig in? Did he want some special treatment or something. Grabbing her forgotten bag off of one of the sheep's back, Kagome dug in it till she found the roll of bandage that she had brought with her in hopes that this demon would just let her wrap up his wounds. Shaking with anger, she showed the small white cloth to him.

"I can't heal you if you have an empty stomach! You need to eat!" she tried to reason with him.

Any normal being would have never tried talking with that majestic creature but run away in fear for his or her life. But not Kagome! Her parents once told her that there was more to them than met the eye. More about their way of thinking and behaving, something that made them superior to anime son of man.

'_Yeah, dad. Maybe that's why you and mom are dead right now... have you ever thought what your believes would bring?' _ her hurt soul chimed in, adding to her hurt feelings even more fuel to start her temper.

Another shake and a snort met her ears as the tai turned his face away from the small onna before him. Why was he so damn stubborn? Why couldn't he just chew these two up and spit out the bones?

"You can't get up, not can you!" she whispered, her eyes widening as she scanned his huge body.

Though his wounds were closed, no blood on his perfect mane, there was that light pulse that came from the places her daggers had hit that made her worry. As if he was fighting an infection. Maybe that was why he refused.

'_Who would have thought that you would be such a prideful creature?'_ she giggled, kneeling down and turning her bag upside down in search for one of her trusty daggers.

"You know, you could have told me that you can't move. I wouldn't have felt so hurt by that indifferent aura you have. " she beamed at him, fisting the dagger and preparing herself mentally for what she was about to do.

Rude or not, she was responsible for him. She didn't care if he acted spoiled. She was used to catering to everyone's wishes just because they felt superior. But taking a life... That was still something she wasn't used to. Demons and villagers could do it easily, but she couldn't. Gulping down, feeling her mouth dry further, the brunette tried to concentrate on killing the two beasts without taking too much time. She hated seeing blood on her hands.

'_Maybe that's why I'm a failure as a miko... And maybe that is why my parents left me and were killed... Jinkoku-san always told me that they left the village to prove them that there was a reason for the youkai invasion... and that they came back in pieces... they were hated after that because the demons came in even larger numbers to prey off the village... I don't know what to think anymore...'_ she thought as she tried to steady her arm, the dagger dangling dangerously in her hand.

Tears ran down her face as she closed her eyes, praying to Amaterasu to give her power. She truly wanted to make her new friend better. She had seen no evil in his eyes, only regret and sorrow, like he had been robbed of something precious and was just wondering around in search for that. Maybe he desired something he couldn't have or maybe he was just trying to protect something, either way, Kagome had seen a part of herself in his soul.

'_Way to go, little priestess! Just use your powers to read into demon souls... like that proved to be of any good!' _ an evil voice inside her, her sarcastic side, snarled at her indecision and wishes.

Inhaling sharply, Kagome closed her eyes tightly and threw all her body weight forward, cringing in preparation of the warm feeling of blood and flesh. But she met nothing. No blood, no sheep, no nothing. Cracking one eye open to look around, she saw only the two dead bodies of said animals lying strangely close to the dogs front legs, his aloof and cold demeanor saying nothing.

"You... how... when?...Youuuuu..." she tried to understand, her eyes moving from the spot she had left the two animals to him, then to their dead bodies and then back to his bored gaze.

Pointing the dagger at his muzzle, Kagome almost screamed when snarled at her, his lips turning upwards, his great white teeth shinning red from the crimson substance in the morning light. Shivering, remembering that he hated to be threatened and that, even hurt as he was, he could easily kill her, Kagome dropped her threatening knife and bowed to him. He was such a strange creature. Moody and very convincing when he wanted something, not to mention hard to read and very unpredictable, this dog was throwing away any and all logical thought out of her mind. He surely wasn't like Kikyo and Kaede had told her.

"Ok, Ok, I get it! I won't do that anymore... But why did you... you told me that you couldn't move!" she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

A snarl met her ears as his black, wet snout pointed to his back legs. A deep gash was healing there, slowly. Eyes widening in shock, Kagome opened her mouth to say something. He couldn't move because of a serious wound like that? She could even see the bone there! But she wasn't the one that made that, so who was it? It surely looked like a miko's blast of fire, but when? She was sure that she had searched his entire body for foreign objects. Did she miss that one?

"Do you want me to check it? I could make it heal faster..." she tried to reason with the Great Dog.

A puff of air was her response as he turned his head towards his given lunch. By the look in his eyes, he wasn't quite thrilled to just munch on the fresh, uncooked meat, as if he had been used to another type of cooking in his, probably, long life. Tapping her bottom lip as she walked to his back legs, her azure eyes trained on the wound that made her stomach churn, she came up with a great plan. She will train him in being more polite to her kind. Sure, he could easily murder and devour anyone without a second thought but, if he was all that, then why hadn't he already done her? Why didn't he kill her?

That meant that he wasn't as savage, as brutal and instinctual like the rest of the lower class demons. So, her parents were right! He could prove them, to all, that demons could live amongst humans.

'_Not as pets... no... For some reason, I don't think he would take it lightly if I would propose that to him.' _ She giggled as she summoned up her unsteady reiki.

There were so many things that she could do with her powers, one of them being collecting any other type of reiki that she could find and make it her own. With that in mind, Kagome, the young trainee priestess, chanted some old song to stabilize her powers. It didn't take long for her to realize that she had never met that power before, like it had been there for a long time, a constant reminder for something. Stealing a glance at the bored tai that watched the sky, Kagome felt his body jerk when she pulled at the string of unfamiliar power. A low growl shook the earth as she instantly jumped, her hands fisting and petting his fur gently.

"I'm sorry! But I had to! It wouldn't come to me otherwise... " she tried to reason when met with his fierce, red stare.

Growling one more time as he inspected the progress she had made, the tai glared at the small girl down his aristocratic like muzzle. If he had been a human, then Kagome guessed that he would might as well be a diplomat, someone that had enough power to rule all of Nippon. She knew that he had the style and the spirit to do it.

As time flew passed them, with her either skinning the two sheep, preparing the fire or trying to heal him, not that he made the job any easier with all his growls and kicks when she wasn't doing something right, Kagome realized that she had disappeared from the village for at least have a day. Now, no one care enough to check, but she guessed that they would still wonder. Playing with a stick in the freshly made fire, sniffing the prepared food with greed, her stomach growling in protest, the mahogany haired miko turned around to look at the vigilant taiyoukai.

What was he thinking? Was he like that because of her, or did he feel something around them? Either way, she was feeling strangely at ease with him around.

"You know!" she chirped all of a sudden, making the annoyed tai turn his head in her direction, in pure curiosity. "I never gave you a name! I wonder what your name should be!" she beamed, tapping her lips with a finger.

A warning growl passed his massive chest as his eyes narrowed dangerously. Was she playing with fire again? He had already kicked her in the water a few times when she had tried to climb up his leg to see if his wound had closed completely and if the others were already healing. Feeling his youki enveloping her small frame, Kagome turned around and sat with her legs crossed in front of her, her wet clothes drying in the back from the fire. He had been completely rude to her, throwing her away like that, like some oversize pest, but she hadn't taken it to heart. He had a reason for it, she just knew it.

'_He sure is behaving like most of the men I have seen... well... a little more dignified, but like a man non the less! Maybe I was invading his personal space?' _ she wondered, seeing that he was, like always, not responding to anything she did or said.

"Should I name you... Fluffy? It's a fitting name, you know?" she tested, closing one eye, but not missing the murderous glare and the wonderful, probably deadly, show of his canines flashing her way.

Giggling when he raised his paw only to bring it down right in front of her, making her tumble a bit backwards, the tai stared her down, making her understand that this wasn't funny. Jumping up from her position on the ground, her stomach aching and tears of joy rolling down her face, Kagome tried to steady her racing heartbeat. All jokes aside, he would surely kill her if she would make fun of him one more time.

"The... then what should I call you? You must have a name..." she tried to coax his answer out.

'_Come to think of it... I never heard an youkai talk before... How am I supposed to know what he tells me? Stupid, stupid Kagome!' _ she berated herself, cursing her slow mind.

"**Sesshomaru. " ** a deep rumble resonated through the clearing, the smooth surface of the water gently jiggering.

"Wh-what?" she gasped, clasping her hands on her ears, her eyes squinting.

Did he talk? He really did say something! But what was it?

"**This one shall not repeat himself, onna." ** The rough grumbling, thundering voice made her squeal at first.

"But... I don't understand much of what you are saying... Can you repeat?" she tried again, not believing her ears, even if her full stomach that captured the sounds pretty well could testify otherwise.

But no sound came from the stoic presence as she watched her. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that he had raised a brow at her incompetence in understanding him. But that was ridiculous. Dogs didn't have eyebrows. Did they?

"I am sorry... Sesshomaru... right?" she tried to pronounce the heavy name as she felt it roll around on her tongue.

A curt nod was what she received for her tries. Whispering his name a couple of times, Kagome smiled back at him. Another mystery unraveled! Taiyoukai could talk, though it was very painful for human ears to understand and keep up with the low baritone, she could still make out most of the gruff sounds he made.

"What a weird name for a dog... It sounds like a sneeze... And it's nasty!" she pondered, not realizing that she had talked out loud until she felt his muzzle pushing her down, his scorching breath fanning in her face, robbing her from the air she needed.

"**Do not mock this one, you impudent child."** His growl shook the grown and almost knocked her into oblivion if she wasn't so damn stubborn as to put him in his place.

Raising her hand before she even realized what she was doing, Kagome slapped the wet nose that presented itself before her with force, a part of her relishing on the wet and satisfied sound that it made.

"Stay!" she yelled, swallowing down her fear when her brain caught up with her actions.

Puzzled, the demon dog raised his head, his fluffy ears hallowing her small frame. His eyes widening minutely, Sesshomaru watched her squirm her way from under him and to her bottom, shaking with what seemed like fright. How come such a small and impossibly powerless human, even with her miko powers, dared to do something like that to the grand him? He couldn't believe her courage, though it was foolish.

Shaking madly as she watched him sit on his belly, his eyes fixed on her and nothing else, Kagome thought about her next move. What could she do to make him understand that all she wanted was to befriend him? She obviously had to... 'train' him on some aspect on human-demon relationship, though she knew nothing about that herself, but she just wanted to know more about him. She was genuinely concerned about him and his welfare.

"S-stay!" she almost pleaded, her order diminishing as she realized that he had gotten up from before her, ready to walk away.

"Please... Don't leave yet! Stay!" she screamed the last part, tears falling from her eyes.

This was strange. In all her life she would have never thought that she would be pleading, almost ordering a demon to keep her company, to be beside her. It was risky and probably deadly, but she wanted him there. She wanted to see him every morning. She wanted to heal him, wanted to train him. He was a dog after all.

A snarl rumbled in the slowly fading day as she jumped to see if he was still there. Panicking when she was met with only the forest, his form and youki completely gone, Kagome ran for the trees, her eyes watering once more. She didn't dare to call for him. Not out of fright but because she dreaded the moment when only silence will met her ears.

Before she could venture further into the dangerous woods, something caught her by the collar of her kimono, yanking her back into the clearing. Screaming as she flew back into the lake, the young miko gurgled out of the water just in time to see a shadow appear next to the biggest tree she had ever seen. A shadow with silver lining, with long hair, a shadow in the form of a man.

"Did you not pleaded this Sesshomaru to stay?" the creature chanted, taking one step into the clearing, his amused tone making Kagome blush.

But before she could say anything, her mouth went completely dry at what she just saw.

'_Amaterasu, you awfully tricky Goddess, why did you like to play games such as these? Do you like to see maidens like me in this kind of situation?' _thought Kagome, her face so red that it could easily be confused with a cherry, as she went under the water.

What a confusing day it had been. Enlightening but confusing non the less.

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**A/N: **So? What do you think? Is it worth it? I planned to depart from the main idea of the story once I got to the second chapter anyway but because I loved the main idea of the story, I used it. Maybe that's why you guys told me that it was better to do something original. I just wanted to do something new for a change, something I never did before! XD heh

Don't know if you do like the turn this story has taken, but please tell me what you like and dislike about it.

Thank you for reading!


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